Automatic sprinkler.



H. P. TANK.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

APPLICATION PILBD F3115, 1911.

@19 Patented June 20, 1911.

To all whom concern: I

citizen of the United States, residing at Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

provided with an outlet pipe to be screwed into the fittings of the pipe system. The

closed by 'a cap, and this cap is held closed.

. thereby release the cap .and effect the open- 1181'. The-essentialso'f a strut of this nature". are maxnnum strength to resist pressure tion consists inthe combination WlthvthlS I type or class of automatic sprinkler of the matic sprinkler showin the act of flying apart.

' frame 1 havingit's base formed as a water outlet-pipe 2'externally threaded for connec- UNITED STATES PATENT orrrcn.

. HENRY r. TANK, or 'ALAMEDA, cnLrronNra', nssrenoa or runes-Taurus To Louis B. KRIEGER AND FOUR-TENTHS 'ro BURT L. DAVIS, BOTH or SAN FRANCISCO, GALI- roanm.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Specification of Lettersiatent. Patented June 20, 1911.

Application filed February 15, 1911. Serial 'No. 808,761.

Be it known that I, HENRY r. TANK, a

Alameda, in the county. of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic My invention relates to the class of auto} matic sprinklers used in connection with fire-extinguishing apparatus. These sprinklers in their common form comprise a frame frame carries in its top a deflector which scatters. the water directed against it by the outlet pipe. The outlet pipe is normally by a strut which lies between it and a pressure screw above. The strut is one com posed of separable members, which are normally united by fusible solder, the arrangement being such that when the sold'rmelts under a stated rise in temperature, the strut will fly apart under the water pressure and ing of the outlet pipe to the stream of wawhen said strut is normally a unit; extremeinstability of said strut when the solder is fore the pressure of the issuing stream.

To secure these essentials is the object of my invention; and to .this end my -invennovel strut which I'shall now fully describe and claim by reference'to the acompanying drawings in which-- I Figure 1 is a sectional View of my autovits. normal position. Fig. 2 is a View s owing the strut in The'sprinkler here shown consists ofa tion with the fittings of the pipe system. The frame carries at its top a deflector. or'water scatterer 3.- The top of the sprinkler outle't pipe 2 is covered-by a cap 4 which when held in place confines the. water. .These' parts are, in general, those of well'known to the direction of the horizontal le of said member. ,The foot 6 has a toe 7 which bears in a small socket in the center of the cap 4.

-The secondmember of the strut, is designated by 8 and may be called the trigger member. It consists of a metal bar which lies immediately above and parallel with the horizontal leg of theanchor member 5.

At one end this trigger memberprojects, as shown by the portion 9, beyond the angle of the anchor. member and I traverses a line drawn perpendicular to the center of the cap 4; and at its .otherend said't-rigger member is bent to form acatch 10 which overlies the extremit of the horizontal leg of the anchor mem er. The third member of the strut, designated by 11, may be termed the stress distributing or tripping member. It consists of a straight bar, which lies parallel with the vertical le of the anchor member 5, but to one side 0 a line perpendicular to the center of the cap 4. At its upper end the tripping member 11 liesunder the pro ject-ing portion 9; of the trigger member 8,

and at its lower end itlies over the "top of the foot 6 ofthe vertical leg-of the anchor member 5. iE'vetween all. the adjacent surfaces of thelthree members of the strut is fusible solder'indicated by 12, so that normally the strut is as one piece.

13 is the pressure screw," whichis fitted in the top of the frame 1, and bears with its point in a small holding socket in the upper surface of the projecting portion 9 of the trigger member 8, the point of pres sure beingmin a line with the point of pressure ofthe toe 7"of the anchormember in the center of the cap 4.

The sprinkler when set normally and ready for operation has its cap closed and held closed against the water pressure in 'the pipe system, by the intervention of the -'temporarily integral strutbetween said cap 3 and the pressure screw 13'. When, however,

' left, the anchor member to the right and the surrounding temperature rises sufiiciently to melt the relatively low-fusible seen that under the condition of the fused solder, the trigger member 8 will tilt using the upper end of the tripping member 11' as a fulcrum and withdrawing its catch end '10 from the extremity of the horizontal leg 'of the anchor member 5. The pressure of the trigger member 8 on the top of the trip- 'ping member 11, continuing during this tilting ofv'the trigger member, has the efiect of causing said trigger member by its bearing on the foot '6 of the anchor member to strain said anchor member over to the right,

' which strain at the momentof the full release of the catch 10 of the trigger member,

will, cause the general and sudden flying apart of the members of the strut, the

trigger member flying upwardly and to the the tripping. member to the left. Thus, the strut which initially is strong and capable pf resisting without bending the, pressure put upon it, is, under the proper conditions,

.of such, marked instability, that its action is sensitive, with the good e'fi'ects of instantly and thoroughly flying apart thereby fully getting out of the way ofthe cap and allow-- ing thecap itself to get out" of the way, thus permitting an instant full' -flow of the water to reach and to be scattered bythe f deflector 3. As there is no lagging in the separation of thestrut members there is no tendency of the water, escaping in part, to cool and resolidify the solder and thereby prevent the full release of-the cap.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-. V

In an automatic sprinkler of the class described, a separable strut comprising an 5 angular anchor member, having an offset foot on the side of the vertical leg opposite that of the horizontal leg, a trigger member overlying the horizontal leg of the anchor member, said trigger member having its inner end projecting beyond the angle of the anchor member and its outer end formed with catch overlapping the extremity of the horizontal leg of the anchor member, and a tripping member extending parallel with the vertical leg of the anchor member between the projecting portion of the trigger member and the foot of saidanch'or mem; her and lying to one side of the line of pressure on the strut, and fusible solder uniting the adjacent surfaces of all the mem-g bers of said strut.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses I HEXRY P. TAN-Ks \Vitne'sses: v 

